Temperature-controlled cargo containers, such as refrigerated trailers, railcars, and other containers, are commonly used to transport food products and other temperature-sensitive products. A refrigerated trailer generally includes a refrigeration unit mounted to the front wall of the trailer with inlet and outlet portions protruding into the interior of the trailer. The outlet of the refrigeration unit forces cooled air into the trailer near the ceiling of the trailer, thus causing the cooled air to cycle through the trailer.
In some circumstances, the cargo area adjacent the access door at the rear of the cargo container is maintained at controlled temperature. For example, such a cargo area extends from a roll-up trailer door to a bulkhead or partition wall which in turns defines another cargo area which is controlled to be at a different temperature and/or humidity. Air gaps and other unsealed perimeters around the access door can permit the temperature-controlled air to escape, thereby causing a greater burden on the climate control system to maintain the cargo area at the selected temperature range. If the leakage of the temperature-controlled air becomes too great, the climate control system may not be able to maintain the cargo area at the selected temperature range, which may in turn cause damage or deterioration of temperature-sensitive cargo such as perishable food items.
The leakage of temperature-controlled air may be particularly pronounced in cargo containers having roll-up doors. In some circumstances, a roll-up door may move up and down during transport (in response to movement of the cargo container), causing edge seals to temporarily separate from abutment with the rear portal edge of the cargo container. Not only can such movement create gaps along the side edges of the door, but air gaps along a top edge of the door can be noticeable in size and cause leakage of the temperature-controlled air from the cargo container.
Some temperature-controlled trailers are equipped with flexible side seals that are directly mounted to the side walls of the trailer via a set of rivets or other fasteners. In particular, each side seal is held in a desired position by a user while the rivets or fasteners are advanced into the side wall using a handheld tool. The flexible side seals extend from the side walls, over the tracks of the roll-up access door adjacent to the side edges of the access door, and to abutment with an interior face of the access door.